Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse.

He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the US military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage.

Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deathsAmerica. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion.

When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U. S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action.

As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully-integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit isJack Ryan, the new President's National Security Advisor.

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Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse. He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the U.S. military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage. Yamata's motivation lies in his desire to pay off a Debt of Honor to his parents and to the country he feels is responsible for their deaths: America. All he needs is a catalyst to set his plan in motion. When the faulty gas tank on one Tennessee family's car leads to their fiery death, an opportunistic U.S. congressman uses the occasion to rush a new trade law through the system. The law is designed to squeeze Japan economically. Instead, it provides Yamata with the leverage he needs to put his plan into action. As Yamata's plan begins to unfold, it becomes clear to the world that someone is launching a fully integrated operation against the United States. There's only one man to find out who the culprit is: Jack Ryan, the new president's National Security Advisor.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Jack Ryan, now the President's National Security Adviser, finds himself embroiled in the buildup to a new world war-one in which the stock market and national economic policy are as critical as advanced weaponry. A power-hungry Japanese financier, still blaming America for his parents' deaths in WWII, plans to use his immense wealth to purchase his revenge. A fatal auto accident in the U.S., caused by faulty gas tanks in two Japanese cars, leads to the breakdown of U.S.-Japanese trade agreements. Spies track each other; nuclear weapons are built and hidden; Ryan and an assortment of his old colleagues maneuver ships, planes and spies into harm's way. As always, the author of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger spins out story threads in a rich but bewildering tangle of plot and setting, then vigorously weaves them together. Here, the heart-stopping climax is unexpected, but oddly appropriate. As always, Clancy instructs (sometimes didactically) as he entertains, teaching us about currency trading, Asian business etiquette and the daily life of an American politician. Without taking up Japan-bashing, as Michael Crichton did in Rising Sun, or partisan politics, Clancy warns that recent downsizing in the defense establishment has so depleted our military resources that the country is vulnerable to aggression that can arise anywhere, anytime. 2 million first printing; BOMC selection. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.

Most helpful customer reviews

This book is big in every sense. 766 pages hardcover, 990 paperback (there's more words per page in the hardcover) makes it intimidating at first, but don't let that stop you. If you like technilogical stuff, military things, plots-galore, and a good old shoot-shoot KA-BOOM kind of story, than DEBT OF HONOR is my recomendation.

Now don't worry, I am not going to give anything away, but I must say that I just finished the book 30 minutes ago and I am still mesmorised by the ending!

But before the ending, there is a lot of stuff going on. In the first hundred pages, there seems to be a dozen different plots going on that have nothing to do with each other, but throughout the book they most surely come together in the most intriging ways.

Much of the story takes place in Japan, and involves Japan, and judging from other reviews, I have seen that there is some animosity to the way Mr. Clancy portrays the Japanese. Whether it is the man on the street, or the man calling all the shots.

As for the men calling the shots, it must be known that every country has jerks. And this is a story of some jerks with power on the Japanese side. When it comes to the man on the street, I see nothing wrong.

I was an exchange student in Japan less than a year ago, and I like to think I learned a thing or two about the Japanese, especially when around a foreigner. And the few examples that are in this book about that were right on.

I was grinning, and even once slaped my knee because a similar thing happened to me that happened to "Klerk" and "Chekov". But enough about that. As for the rest of the book, I must say that it is very grand.Read more ›

America and Japan are vital allies and trading partners and I am confident that the two countries will never again engage in armed conflict with one another. A limited form of armed conflict between Japan and the United States is the intriguing premise of this novel, one of Clancy's best. Although unlikely, there is nothing that takes place in this novel that is quite impossible. Just not real probable, but hey, that's why we have fiction.The basic storyline is simple (no spoilers here). The trade friction between Japan and the United States comes to a head when the US enacts a trade bill which essentially targets Japanese firms which engage in sharp practices against the US. This gives a clique of power-wielding industrialists an opportunity to put Japan on a course whereby it seeks to establish military control over much of the Western Pacific area, including Saipan, which is a United States territory. Therein lies the story. Far out, but not impossible. Here, Clancy is stretching his imaginative muscles and the result is a quite good novel. As usual, Clancy's skillful speculation about, and knowledge of, military technology gives this one more authenticity than most authors would be able to manage.This one brings back our old friends Jack Ryan, John Clark, and Ding Chavez, who are the central players on the American side. This novel features some of Clancy's best writing, and is not overlong like most of his later works. Further, the Japanese side is presented largely with respect and dignity, excepting the core bad guys who are portrayed as well, bad guys.One of Clancy's best, and if you like his other ones, you will probably thoroughly enjoy this one.

I read this Clancy novel the moment it came out in '96. It has one of the BEST ENDINGS of any book I've read. Unfortunately, September 11th, 2001 shed a completely different light on this book. In fact, the first thought I had when I learned of the horrible attack on that morning was, "someone read DEBT OF HONOR." (If I reveal the ending here, there's not much of a point for you to read it...)So when Condoleeza Rice said to the press that "no one could have imagined" that someone would use airliners to attack buildings I was appalled by the bald-faced lie. Everyone knows that D.C. (the Pentagon, the White House, the CIA) reads Clancy's novels, in galley form before they're published. Not only did the terrorists imagine this, Clancy wrote a remarkably similar and spectacular scenario, allowing the D.C. war-gamers to imagine yet another horrible possibility. After all, Reagan purportedly got all fired up about the Star Wars Missile Defense System after reading Clancy's RED STORM RISING.The WTC attack was not just an attack on a civilian target. Just like the Easter Egg attack depicted in the beginning of DEBT OF HONOR, the WTC attack was on an economic target for its symbolic value.DEBT OF HONOR is long, perhaps too long. But that's what you expect from a good Tom Clancy novel and this is one of his better ones. This book is definitely worth reading. Sadly, post September 11th, this is true for more reasons than just because it's a good 'ole Tom Clancy yarn.

The book Debt of Honor questions whether the Japanese accepted surrender at the end of WWII, of if it was just a retreat. Honor and Saving Face means much to the Japanese culture, and, if like in many Clancy novels, if they were pushed "one step closer", could they gain an upper hand and threaten war once again?To fully appreciate the situation in Debt of Honor, the full political and military ramificaitons of Clancy's works must have come true - ICBM nuke disarmament, and a general reduction of war forces of both sides of the eastern block and NATO.So if Japan becomes a nuclear power, and takes over Guam, could the US respond - especially if their financial situation is thrown into chaos via computer "virus" - or deliberate trap?I don't agree with several of Clancy's postulates, such as ICBM disarmement (in face of the China threat), or a President putting a member of the opposite political party in the VP slot (as happened to Jack Ryan in the book). While perhaps necessary for future novels (such as Execute Orders), Jack Ryan's accendency to the Presidency is needed, politicians and congress members would reject a VP like Jack, since he would be a heartbeat away from the top job. However, the book is a satifying work of fiction well worth the read.